WHAT TO EXPECT

WHAT TO EXPECT ON YOUR VISIT TO HAITI

Lodging and Transportation

The N a Sonje Foundation lodging facilities includes a mountain guesthouse and the Bluntschli home in a semi-confined compound just outside of Port-au-Prince which is used for guests who participate in N a Sonje and community activities since March 2003. It is located in the center of a rural Haitian community called “Gwo Jan,” a rural section of Pernier, a township of Petion-ville. It has dormitory-style rooms (a separate couples room is available), 3 family-style Haitian meals, 24 hour natural spring water for bathing, filtered water for drinking and outdoor latrines or a compostable toilet at the Bluntschli home.

N a Sonje also can help make connections to a variety of other locations ranging from:

Famous hotels

Dormitory-style guesthouses

Bed and breakfast homes

City or village family home stays

Transportation choices range from:

Hired vans and buses for any group size and need.

Rental 4×4 vehicle

Public vehicles, tap-taps, and rickety taxis at normal fares or hired prices

“First Look” Tour

One of N a Sonje’s mission is to take you from the insides of the artificial confines of airplanes and airports where you were whisked from your reality into the realities of Ayiti as quickly as possible. Remembering that several hours of air travel cannot prepare you for the confusing sights, smells and sounds of Ayiti that are already inculcated by negative propaganda with uninvited judgments but that can be rapidly transformed by this initial and intentional encounter immediately from the airport. By offering a moment of reflection and then diving into the streets through this vehicular tour we hope this first moment will also allow you to express your greetings of arrival towards the people who now share a closer proximity to you and realize just how your own history is intimately intertwined with Ayiti.

Creole Cultural Immersion

What are the lessons in every day Haitian etiquette that will quickly assure you and your Haitian hosts as you visit, work and learn during your stay in Haiti of, at the very least, a beginning understanding of culturally acceptable behavior? Making this first step is already an act of respect that will be greatly appreciated by the country and its people.

N a Sonje Foundation has developed lessons both in Haitian Creole and Haitian Culture that will allow you to immerse yourself into the people and the country through its language, traditions and customs that will help prevent unintentional cultural mistakes during your time in “Ayiti”. N a Sonje will be honored to accompany you on that road through immersion experiences designed for the length of time you can take, from one afternoon to several days or weeks, depending on intention and time constraints.

NSF’s unique Creole language method makes sentence structure simple, especially for English speakers and is a quick way of grasping the language for conversational level speaking.

Introduction to Vodou

Vodou, a subject full of misunderstanding and confusion. We can set up presentations by Haitian practitioners and experts about the history, the ancient concepts, descriptions and explanations of vodou and it’s place in Haitian society. Depending on interest and availability, live ceremonies can be arranged.